[109193] Terror attack in the heart of Damascus: Explosion at a cafe near the Palace of Justice claims the lives of five

Deadly terror attack in the heart of Damascus

A serious security incident occurred yesterday in the Syrian capital, Damascus, when a powerful explosion occurred at a cafe located near the District Court (Palace of Justice) in the city. Initial reports of the explosion began to stream in on the afternoon of July 2, 2026, with Turkish channels reporting an attack in a crowded area.

According to reports by the news agency gdh, which covered the incident extensively, the explosion occurred near the central Al-Hamidiyah Souq area. The channel updated that the death toll stands at "5 people killed and 16 injured" as a result of the explosion as noted in gdh.

The Syrian state news agency SANA, cited by Sputnik Türkiye, confirmed the occurrence of the explosion in the area of Al-Marjeh Square and Al-Nasr Street, but stated that the nature of the incident is "yet to be determined" and that security forces are working to investigate its circumstances according to the Sputnik report. It should be noted that while channels identified with the Syrian opposition, such as Rojava Gündemi, described the incident as an attack in a sensitive location, official media in Syria is maintaining ambiguity regarding responsibility for the attack.

The İhlas Haber Ajansı news agency defined the incident as a "bomb attack" and reported a number of casualties similar to that reported by gdh, which strengthens the assessments that it was an explosive device detonated in the heart of the capital according to IHA. The explosion occurred in one of the most secured and densely populated areas in Damascus, a fact that raises questions regarding the level of control and security of the Syrian government in the heart of the capital.